Founded in 2014, Binokle is a unique, female-owned independent eyewear boutique based in Krakow, Poland that offers customers a hands-on optical styling approach paired with an extensive range of artistically designed frames. Situated in a country that neighbours Ukraine, recent years haven’t been easy for the boutique, but their list of loyal clientele only continues to grow. Victoria G. L. Brunton spoke to founder Paulina Bajdas to find out more…
Tell us a little about yourself: your education / professional background…My name is Paulina Bajdas, I live in Krakow and I opened Binokle at the beginning of 2014. People often ask me why I decided to start my business, and it’s because I wanted to contribute to the local community. I was seeking self-accomplishment, my place in the world, and had worked in different industries looking for things that I was good at. There was a period in my life when I worked as a stylist, in a shop belonging to a well-known chain of optical salons. There, I noticed that people found it difficult to choose frames that fit them and also that the eyewear market in Krakow was very limited. Clients usually find themselves being offered mass-produced glasses, and the whole market of independent brands was being ignored.
I graduated with a Masters in business management alongside a two-year diploma in styling and make-up. At that time, I decided to enrol in an optics school and began looking for financing to open the first Krakow eyewear shop with independent brands. My first choice was MOSCOT, I was actually the first person to import this brand to Poland. After that, I successfully started to bring in new brands that I discovered during optics exhibitions in Milan, Paris and Munich. Later on, I decided to expand my knowledge and I finished optometry at the Medical University in Poznań.
How do you select the brands you stock? I want all the frames in my shop to be top-notch quality, I don’t want to see my clients being forced to return here with a complaint. I feel satisfied when selling high quality products and my customer service is second to none. Another important aspect of the products I stock is interesting and extraordinary design. From the very beginning, my goal was to offer frames that people feel comfortable with but also feel special wearing. A lot of my customers are not afraid to highlight their appearance with bold frames. I stock brands from all over the world, and because of that I introduce aesthetics from different places; from minimalistic Scandinavian style to Spanish brands that are colorful, bold and without limitations. I travel a lot, and in doing so I look for inspiration. When I visited Lisbon, for example, I was inspired by a beautiful shop with vintage frames. After that experience, I decided to introduce a small vintage collection in Binokle — it was well received.
Did you always want to work in fashion / eyewear or was it an offshoot of another passion? Before opening the store, I worked as a stylist on photoshoots. I always had a feel for aesthetics and style. Like a photographer who can always find a good composition and capture the real character of whoever’s being photographed, on seeing a client I immediately know which frames would complement their character in the best possible way. That is a kind of talent.
Does Binokle have a certain type of customer? If I would need to describe the type of clients that visit us, I would say that they are very aware of what they want, they don’t blindly follow trends and they look for the best quality in a unique form. For them, showing off a brand name is not at all important; what matters most is an interesting design. I’m lucky to have a pleasant, open list of clientele and a lot of regular customers who buy frames only from me.
What have been some of the most popular trends within the Polish eyewear market? After the trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, I got a lot of calls from people asking what glasses Johnny was wearing and where they could get them. Frankly speaking, I don’t care about trends. I value timeless design – something which doesn’t necessarily mean classic and boring, but rather pieces that won’t go out of fashion in a couple of years. When a client decides to wear a pair of my frames that they bought 5 years ago, nobody will say they’re unfashionable. The only pattern that I notice is that my clients are attached to certain brands and their line of products. However, I am well aware that my products are only of interest to a small percentage of all eyewear users.
How does the current political situation with Russia and Ukraine affect business, if at all? When the war in Ukraine broke out, life in Krakow stopped for a whole two weeks. Shops and restaurants were empty, all the inhabitants were primarily focused on helping refugees and we put our energy into helping Ukrainians. Simultaneously, we feared the worst. “What will happen with Poland?” This was on everybody’s mind. However, life needs to go on and local businesses won’t function if there aren’t any clients, so we swiftly went back to normal. I’m proud that my fellow citizens managed to face this problematic situation with strength and courage; our Eastern European neighbours are our brothers and sisters.
Are there any Polish eyewear brands / designers you’re excited about at the moment? No one Polish is on my radar at the moment, unfortunately, but I admire Kasia Łupińska at Massada.
Tell us about the performance / dancers we saw on your Instagram recently? This was a project about the pandemic, portraying a certain feeling of emptiness that surrounded us during isolation. It was an expression of hope and fear of uncertainty. These dancers from Krakow Dance Theatre perform behind shop windows annually, Binokle was one among other boutiques selling niche brands that participated this year. It was the third consecutive year that I had the pleasure of welcoming these artists into my store. A lot of people gathered to watch; I am always thrilled to see so many people participating in local artistic events.
In your words, what sets Binokle apart from other Polish eyewear boutiques?One thing, off the top of my head, is that we never had and never will have Ray-Ban’s. Jokes aside, seriously, we take an individual approach to our clients: they can always count on an honest and meaningful opinion. I perform eye tests in my shop, then I choose the right lenses and shape them according to the test results. In short, diligent customer service at its best as well as our high quality lenses is what defines us.
Are there any exciting updates at Binokle we should look out for? The world is changing so rapidly that it’s very difficult to plan ahead. However, business is going well and the total number of clients we cater to is continuously increasing. We are trying to adapt according to changes, but the only thing that I know is that the expansion of virtual space is moving fast. To keep up with this phenomenon, we are working on modernizing our online service to include an online-purchasing system and a virtual fitting room.
An interview feature by Victoria G. L. Brunton – exclusively for Eyestylist.com.